It is not every day that you have the opportunity to eat at an establishment that started a food genre, but I believe if you can pinpoint that location then you should definitely go there. Case in point being Nick's Kitchen in Huntington, Indiana. It is agreed to be the home of the original Battered Pork Tenderloin.

My wife, 10 year old daughter and I had the chance to try out Nick's on a Saturday afternoon recently and boy are we glad we did! When you walk in to Nick's, you are immediately struck by it's charm. This has been a restaurant since 1908 and not much has changed in the last 50 years. My daughter immediately made a beeline to the counter to sit. Not having ever been in a restaurant with a lunch counter before, she was very excited. I explained to her that "back in the day" every town in America had a least one restaurant like this, but because of fast food and chains, they are a dying breed.

The waitstaff was very friendly and efficient knowing many of the regulars by name and they all stopped by to give us refills and ask if we were enjoying our meal.

I knew before I ever arrived what I was going to order and that was the breaded port tenderloin. When we were looking over the menu and I informed them that Nick's was the orginator of the BPT, both of them decided they were going to get one as well. So we ordered three BPTs and an order of hand cut fries to split. We all loved the tenderloins. While the crust was crunchy, it did not overpower the meat and the pork was still moist and flavorful. Being a native Hoosier, I have had my fair share of pork tenderloins in my life and can say without a doubt this was the best I have ever had and it wasn't even the best part of the meal.

The hand cut fries were cooked to perfection with some being darker and crispier than others (just the way I like them)! I enjoyed an ice cold XXX Root Beer in the bottle with a frosted mug to drink it from. What a great compliment to the meal.

I odered a slice of Sugar Cream pie (the official state pie of Indiana). When the waitress asked me what I thought of the pie only one word came to mind...spectacular! What an incredible piece of pie. The crust is flaky and homemade, the custard is smooth and flavorful, the topping had just the right amount of cinnamon and it was still warm from being freshly made that morning. Kathy and Amelia took one bite of my pie and ordered their own. Kathy swears it brought back memories of her grandma's pies, only better.

I am now trying to figure out a reason to go back to Huntington just so I can visit Nick's Kitchen once again.

Scorecard

" Nick’s Kitchen’s tenderloin is gorgeous: a slice of boneless pork loin that has been pounded flat, breaded, fried to a crisp, planted in a bun, and dressed with mustard, pickle, lettuce and tomato. The plate-sized pancake of pork extends so far beyond the bun that it is impossible for even the longest-fingered hands to grasp the bread to pick it up like a normal sandwich."
Michael Stern

"Sugar cream pie, the most basic of sweets, is an Indiana farmhouse favorite. "
Michael Stern

"We never can resist an apple dumpling when we see it on a menu. We're glad we took the plunge here at Nick's. This one, served warm under a big scoop of ice cream, is a beaut!"
Michael Stern

"We loved the craggy texture of the pumpkin pie! "
Cliff Strutz

"A great version of the Midwest favorite pea salad is full of hard-boiled egg chunks, crisp bits of sweet onion and celery."
Michael Stern

"Don't even think about leaving Nick's Kitchen without sampling some of Jean Anne's excellent pie. On the day of my visit, I was disappointed that only cherry pie was left. One forkful later, I felt like the luckiest guy in the world!"
Cliff Strutz